Which produce should you always buy organic? Keep this guide in your wallet or on your phone.
Posted on May 16th, 2011 in organic, seeds of change |
There are many reasons to buy organic food: less pesticide exposure for you, few chemicals in the environment, better nutritional content, and no use of hormones, drugs, or genetically modified products.
But when it comes to produce and pesticides, not all products are equal. Some fruits and vegetables are sprayed with many different types of pesticides. Some produce is particularly likely to retain pesticide residue. Other produce is sprayed minimally and poses a very low risk of exposing you to chemicals.
When you’re walking down the produce aisle – and trying to figure out what you can afford to buy organic - it can be hard to sort it all out.
Fortunately for all of us, the Environmental Working Group has taken confusion out of the shopping by analyzing data from the USDA and the FDA and producing a simple and easy to use guide to what to always buy organic.
Their “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides,” should have a place in your wallet or on your phone. It lists the “Dirty Dozen,” (the produce carrying the highest amount of pesticides), and the “Clean 15,” (the lowest in pesticides). Naturally, they encourage us to always buy the “Dirty Dozen” organic.
You can print the pdf version and keep it in your wallet, or download the iPhone app for free and keep it on your phone. This list was updated last year, so if you have an older version you’ll want to swap it out.
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